Safety panel-box.



H. F. KRANTZ.

SAFETY PANEL` BOX.

Mmc/mon man mm. 31, 1917. 1,292,807. Patented Jan. 28,1919.

' 3 SHEETS-safer 1.

.. H. F. KRANTZ.

SAFETY PANEL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED` MAR. 31. I9l7.

Pa'temed Jan. 28, 1919.

l; 4mm/VEP H. F. KRANTZ.

SAFY PANEL BOX. APPLICATION FILED MAH. 31. 19u.-

Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

` UNITED smilie AParrain* OFFICE.

HUBERT F. KRANTZ, OF BROOKLYN, YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 KRANTZ MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, INC., OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW WORK.

SAFETY PANEL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

A Application led March 31, 1917. Serial N o. 158,956.

To all whom t may concern.' l

Be it known that I, HUBERT4 F. KRANTZ, residing at Brooklym in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Safety Panel-Boxes, of Ywhich the follow-ing is a speciiication. y b This invention relates to a safety panel A particular object of the invention is to provide improved and positively operating l means for rendering the panel box safe and uniformly efficient even in the hands of an inexperienced operator.' p

A more specific object is to provide a panel box in which the switch mechanism isI mounted in a stationary position within the box, and in which a simple and Ieiiicient means is provided, and operatively associated with the switch mechanism and with the door of the box, for positively insuring an off position of the switch mechanism whenever the door is open.

A further and more detailed object is to provide improved means extending between the door and the switch mechanism wherebyl an opening movement of the door will positively operate the switch mechanism into off position and will positively prevent any operation of the switch mechanism into the on position, and to arrange said means so as not to interfere with the normal operation of the switch vmechanism into the"onposition when the door is closed.

A further object is to provide'improved Lswitch operating means peculiarly adapted to coperate with the other `features of the invention. l 1" g Other' objects andy aims of the invention,

morefor less specific'than-those'- referred to'A above, will be in 'partobvious and in part pointedv out in the course ofthe following" description of the elements, combinationa.

arrangemen'tsjof parts and "applications of principles, ,constituting ythe invention; andv the scope, .of'm'protection contemplated will'A be indicatedin the-appended claims.y

In' vtlrieI-faccompanying drawings which arel to -be" taken as Apart of this specification, and in 'which l haveA shown' 'merelyv a pre- Figure lris` a longitudinal vertical fsec-v tional view taken'th'rough 'a panelbox con- Patented' Jan. as, 1919.

the on position in full lines, and in the oif position in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the switch mechanism as having been moved into the off position by an opening movevment of the door.` y y Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Fig. l, a'part of the top wall of the box being broken away for better disclosing the connection between the switch mechanism and the door.v

` Fig. l is a view similar to that shown in Fig. l, illustrating a slightly modified Vform of the switch mechanism, and l .l

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the parts of Fig. 4 in the off position.

Referring to the drawingsfor describing in detail the structure 'which is illustrated therein, and referring first to Figs. l to 3, the reference character Lindicates the panel box generally. This maybe made up of any suitable material, either sheet metal 'or otherwise, according to preference. In the drawing, it isy shownto lbe made of sheet metal.

The switch mechanism G is :arranged within the box, bein'gkpreferably fixed to the upper wall 1 of. the box and having a yhandle 2 projecting through the opening 3 formed. Ithrough Vsaid upper wall. i i

The switch'mechanism illustrated comprises a swinging contact blade l adapted to be swung by the handle 2 for moving its l opposite ends into and out of electrical en- .able base of insulating material.

The connections for swinging the blade et arev shown to-comprise a toggle 8, one member of which is formed with'an upwardly 4extending arm 9 carrying a pin y10.v The pin l0` stands-in the path of movement of cpposingshoulders 1 1 and 12 directly connected with thehandle 2. A sliding move-,` ment of the. handle kalong the opening' or. `)slot 3*-will`jbring 'one-or-the 'otherv of the shoulders 11 and 12 into .engagement with the pini() in accordance with r direction of.' p movement ofthe handle. j ferred form of 'embodiment of the inventiong A wai Fig. l, the

Shoulder has 'as' t0 ,V S,traightenl the"V toggle and thus lockjthe. blade invon 'posit-ion.A liiovementofthe handle into the position shown by. the dotted lines will bring the shoulder 11 against the pin and will break the toggle andv allow the spring 13 instantly to throw the blade 4 into full off position. y

The connections between the switch mechanism and the door areas follows:

\A link 14 is connected by its inner end to the pin 10. A stud 15 is fixed to the v outen endy of theglink and extends laterally therefrom into sliding engagement through a slot 16 formed longitudinally in a bracket 17 which is fixed rigidly to the under surface of the door 18. The direction of the length of the slot is substantially toward the pin 10 when the door is closed, and the length of the-slot is such that the pin 10 and the remainder of the switch mechanism may/be operated Withoutinterferenc'e into on and ofl position at all times so long as the door stands closed, 'the stud 16 simply traveling back and forth alongthe slot.

When the switch mechanism is in the on position, the stud 15 stands directly at the inner end of the slot and thedisposition of the slot with respect to the hinge 19 of the door` is such thafany appreciable opening movement of the door 'will exert a pull upon the link 14 and will thereby immediately break the toggle and allow the spring 13 to snap the blade 4 into the olf position.

After the toggle is broken, the stud 15 will be free to travel along the slot 16 to, permit the blade to move into the olf position."

When the door isin its fully opened position, as in Fig. 2, the slot 16`is somewhat inclined with respect to the vertical, so that the stud 15 will readily travel lengthwise of the slot to permit closing movement of the door without necessarily effecting -an operation of the switch mechanism.

It will be understood that the importance of the provision above described for posii tively preventin an on 'position of the `against possible engagement of an switch mechanism lwhile the door is open, resides inthe fact that it prevents access nto' the fuse 20 or to -other elements within the reach, of an .operators hand or tool through the doorway while current is intact 5. If desired, a further barrier as 21 may be placedwithin the -box to guard tors hands with the contact 5. l v

A door retaining .latch ,H may be lemployed at the free edge' of. the door for locking'the door closed, this latch will also operaserve.' as a handle by means of which the door may be readily manipulated.

The structure shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is the same vin all particulars as that shownin the other igures'except with regard to the operating handle of the switch mechanism.- y

The modification shown in these figures is given to illustrate the adaptability ofthe door control feature ,of this'invention to use in connection with a pivotally mounted handle as inthe previous figures,

A swinging movement Aofy the handle 22 will bring one or the other of the shoulders 23 and 24 into engagement with the pin 10 for swinging the toggle in accordance with the same -manner as above described'with reference to the handle 2.

It will be noted that in any instance an handle as 22 instead of a slidably mounted the direction of movement of the handle in "3 sa i opening movement -of the door while the' I operating handle is inthe on position will .produce a` lmovement of said handle into the off position and thereby visually indicate to the operator that a movement ofthe switch blade has occurred. The close proximity of the operator to the door makes the indication more impressive.

`As many changes could be made in this construction without departing from the scope .of the following claims, it is intended that ,all mattercontained in the above'description, or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative an'dnot in the limiting sense.

onl l Plaving thus described my invention, what I c lanrLas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

i 1. A safety panel b ox having a portion of one of its walls pivotally connected to form a door therein, a switch mechanism supported by the mentioned wall adjacent the hinge of said door, 'said Switch mechanisml having a part movable into on and off positions, and also having an operating handle. disposed to-project through anv opening formed in said mentioned wall, and auxiliary :operating means for the ,switch mechanismwhereby to operate the switch mechanism by movement of Said door, said auxiliary operating means comprising a door adjacent the pivotA thereof, said bracket having a slot formed therein extending substantiall parallel with the surface of the door ackwardly beyond the 'bracket fixed to the inner surfacefof the pivot, and a link connecting 'the movable art of the switch mechanism with said Iracket, said link having a stud slidably engaging in the slot of said bracket.

2. A safet panel box having a tion of one o its walls adjacent one en of the box pivotally. connected to form a doorispo openingl mto .the interior ofthe box,` the` aeeaeov hinge of the door being disposed at that side of the door nearest to the opposite end of the box, a switch mechanism arranged within the box spaced from the hinge of the door in a direction towardsaid opposite end of the box, said switch mechanism having a part movable into on7 and oli positions, `and operating means for said switch mechanism whereby to operate the switch mechanism by movement of the door, said operating means comprising a bracket iixed to move with the door and having a part disposed within the box projecting backwardly beyondthehinge ofy the door in the direction of the switch mechanism, and means connected to the bracket at a point rearward of said hinge and extending into connection with the movable part of the switch mechanism.

3. A safety panelbox having a portion of one of its walls adjacentone end of the box pivotally connected to form a dpor open-- ing into the interior of the box, the hinge of the door being disposed at that side of the door nearest to the opposite end of the box, a switch mechanism arranged within the box spaced from the hinge of the door in a direction toward said opposite end of i the box, said switch mechanism having a part movable into on and ott positions,

and an operating handle for the switch l mechanism projecting outwardly through an opening in said wall, said handle being slidably mounted to slide toward and away `from the hinge of the door and having parts movable therewith to engage the mentioned movable part of the switch mechanism to move said part into off and on positions, and means operatively associated with the movable part of the switch mechanism and with the operating handle and extending into connection with the door whereby an opening movement of the door will insure an ,oii position both of the movable part of the switch mechanism and of said operating handle.

4C., A switch mechanism having a switch blade movable into on and oit positions, toggle parts arranged to stand in a straightened position when the switch blade is on and to'permit movement of the switch blade into 0E position when the toggle is broken, a supporting frame for said toggle parts and switch blade, a member slidably carried by said frame having portions to engage one of Ithe toggle parts to straighten or break the toggle, and an operating handle' fixed to said mentioned member projecting through a slot formed in said frame to a point of accessibility beyond the frame.

In testimony whereof l afix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HUBERT F. KRANTZ. 

